Higher Ed Cuts Mean Major Tuition Hikes

Tuition at public colleges has spiked, especially in Arizona and California. (iStock)

Tuition at public colleges in Arizona and California has
spiked more than 70 percent over the past five years, the result of massive
cuts to state higher education funding in those states and most others, according
to a report
released Tuesday.

While enrollment grew by nearly 1.2 million students over
the past five years, states cut overall higher education funding by $16.8
billion, or $2,353 per student, the report by the Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities said.

The tuition increases haven't prevented major cutbacks at
universities, including thousands of layoffs at schools in Arizona and
California, and department closures there and elsewhere.

Wyoming and North Dakota are the only states that have
increased funding for higher education over the past five years, but students
in those states still saw a 9 percent increase in tuition in the same time span.

Rising tuition has led to greater student debt and could
make it harder to improve graduation rates, the report found, though there are
indications that tuition
growth could be slowing in some states. Last year, for example, regents in
Arizona froze tuition and fees at the two largest universities in the state,
Arizona State University and the University of Arizona.

But Phil Oliff, the lead author of the report,
says that even though state budgets are starting to improve, states haven't
begun to significantly reinvest in higher education.

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